840 Courses

There is so much more to this free tool than just creating PDFs. Learn what else you can do for free. Duration: 2 hours This Adobe Acrobat Reader course looks at the features of the Acrobat Reader tool. Learn how to create PDF and what options you have, complete and sign and mark up PDFs. Objectives  By the end of the course you will be able to: Create PDFs from other tools Complete and sign documents Mark up PDF documents Content Creating PDFs Building PDF documents from Word, Excel and PowerPoint Working in Acrobat Home, Tools and Document Views Using the Navigation Panel and Pane Floating toolbar and Contextual menus Completing and signing documents Using fill and sign to complete forms Adding signatures Marking up documents Marking up changes Using sticky notes Using the highlighter pen Adding stamps Attaching documents and audio

Learn how to create fully relational databases and how to input, extract and report on data. Course overview Duration: 2 days (13 hours) Our Access Database Design and reporting course looks at the key elements to building fully relational databases and entering and extracting information from them. This course is designed for new users who need to build relational database systems. Objectives  By the end of the course you will be able to: Create a new database Create data tables Set field validation and properties Enter data and manage data Create forms Use queries to extract data Create parameter queries Create calculations in queries Build relational databases Use sub datasheets Build multi table queries Use advanced form and report design techniques Content Creating a database Creating a new database Database elements Creating a data table Setting field properties Using input masks Using input masks Validation rules Default values Setting a primary key Creating lookup fields Data entry Adding data Deleting data Quick keys for data entry Working with data Sorting data Filtering data Finding information Navigation Creating data form Creating quick forms The form wizard Amending forms Formatting Setting the tab order Entering data using forms Creating queries Creating a query Setting criteria Using the expression builder Creating parameter queries Using wildcards Using more than one parameter Using calculations in queries Adding a totals row Formatting results Adding calculations Printing and reporting Printing tables and queries Creating reports Building and amending reports Adding headers and footers Working with relational databases Relational database principles Importing data from other sources Linking information between tables One-to-one and one-to-many links Defining referential integrity Amending links Deleting links Sub datasheets Viewing a subdatasheet Removing a subdatasheet Connecting a subdatasheet Multiple table queries Deciding which tables to use Adding tables to the query Creating links between tables Setting join properties Advanced form design Field properties Creating lookup fields Adding calculated fields Applying conditional formatting Advanced report design Field properties Report properties Alternate colour bandings Concatenating fields Adding calculated fields Sorting and grouping Grouping settings Adding headers and footers Adding dates, times, page numbers

Discover the more complex features of Word for long document creation. Course overview Duration: 1 day (6.5 hours) Our Word Document Production (Part 2) course shows you some of the more advanced features of Word that are key for long document creation. This course will enable you to create longer, more complex documents with ease, including adding cross references, headers and footers and a table of contents. This course is aimed at existing Word users who have attended our Word Document Production (Part 1) course or have equivalent knowledge and who want to extract the most out of the package. Objectives  By the end of the course you will be able to: Create, amend and use templates Use styles for easy formatting Work with section breaks Manage linked headers and footers Insert pictures and objects Add cross references Create a table of contents Use tracked changes Content Creating templates Creating templates Using templates Amending templates Using styles in templates Adding styles to a template Using Heading Styles Managing Styles Applying template style changes directly from a document Copying styles between templates Working with different types of section break Next page section breaks Odd and even section breaks Inserting page numbers, headers and footers Creating custom headers and footers Inserting fields Using Section breaks Dynamic linking between Sections Page numbering in Sections Graphics Inserting pictures Inserting objects from other packages Object text wrapping options Picture options Adding cross references Creating cross references Creating a table of contents Generating a table of contents Setting table of contents styles Updating a table of contents Track changes Setting track changes Accepting and rejecting changes Viewing comments The reviewing pan

Ensure you can fully utilize this powerful tool to create a range of flowcharts and diagrams. Course overview Duration: 1 day (6.5 hours)  Microsoft Visio is a powerful tool designed to simplify complex information through the creation of simple, professional-looking diagrams. While Visio is capable of producing almost any type of drawing this training concentrates on flowcharts, swim lane process diagrams and organisation charts. You will also discover the real power of Visio by adding essential data to the content of your diagrams and producing reports in Excel using this data. This course is designed for either new users of Visio or those who have dabbled and can create basic diagrams. Our course will give you the skills and knowledge you need to navigate your way around this powerful program and produce different types of diagram. Objectives  By the end of the course you will be able to: Create and amend flowcharts Create cross functional (Swim Lane) process flows Produce organisation charts by importing data Add essential data to shapes Export diagram data reports to Excel Present, publish and print Visio diagrams Content Visio essentials Finding your way around Visio Using the ribbon and Quick Access toolbar Keyboard shortcuts Shapes and stencils explained What Visio can do for you Creating basic flowcharts Working with shapes Adding and deleting shapes Joining, aligning and sizing shapes Using Auto-Connect Labelling shapes and connectors Editing and improvinC flowcharts Amending shape and connector labels Using colours to emphasise Changing line styles Moving and copying objects Grouping diagram elements Quick ways of working Cross functional flowcharts Creating Cross-Functional Flowcharts Manipulating functional bands Creating off-page references within diagrams and hyperlinks to other documentation Organising charts and shape data Using the wizard to create an organisation Chart Importing existing Data into to create an organisation chart Modifying an organisation chart Shape Data Adding shape data to a shape Creating shape data sets Diagram reports Exporting data to a report in Excel Exporting to HTML Creating and customizing reports Presenting, publishing and printing Using Page Setup Print previewing Embedding backgrounds Adding headers and footers Converting your final documentation to PDF Saving as HTML Visio with PowerPoint

Learn the proper way to use PowerPoint and the background features that can make a real difference. Course overview Duration: 1 day (6.5 hours) Our PowerPoint – Professional Presentations course looks at creating professional, business focussed presentations quickly and easily. It ensures delegates are aware of the key concepts in using the tool such as slide masters and by the end of the day you will be able to create and run high quality presentations. This course is designed for new and existing users of PowerPoint who want to get the best out of the tool. Objectives  By the end of the course you will be able to: Create a new presentation Amend the slide master/template Create text slides Animate text on slides Insert pictures and objects Set object animation Insert and work with SmartArt Create charts Run a presentation Content Creating a new presentation Creating a new presentation from a template Using your company template Changing slide layouts Copying, deleting and inserting slides Using the slide master Modifying the Slide Master Using Slide layouts Multiple Slide Masters Slide dates, footers and numbers Creating text slides Working with bullet points Setting spacing Changing text and bullet styles Using Outline view Text animation on a slide Slide titles Bullet points Applying animation to the Slide Master Animating text Slide titles Bullet points Applying animation to Slide Master Drill Down vs Drill Through Review of drill down Creating drill through pages Using drill through Inserting and working with pictures Inserting pictures Inserting online pictures Formatting pictures Adding Drawings Inserting lines and shapes Using Quick Styles Selecting and grouping objects Aligning and positioning objects Add text to a shape Duplicating objects Object animation Simple object animations Working with SmartArt Inserting SmartArt Graphics SmartArt formatting Converting text to SmartArt Inserting charts Creating a slide with a graph Changing chart types Setting chart options Graph animations Presenting your presentation Slide show settings Using Presenter view Using the PowerPoint viewer Slide show presentation tips

We use it everyday but there are so many additional tools to save you time and make your work in Outlook more efficient and less stressful. Course overview Duration: 4 hours People tend to think they know how to use Outlook however there are so many lesser known features that can make working in Outlook so much more efficient. Simply understanding the layouts, how to turn things on and off and customising the environment to your preferences can save time and frustration. You then have search features, things such as conversation clean up and quick steps that can help to tidy up and organise what you do. Objectives  By the end of the course you will be able to: Customise Outlook to your preferences Manage email conversations Setup and use Quick Steps Create folders and organise information Setup rules Search for information Work effectively with calendars Content Customising the user interface Using the Navigation Pane and “To-do Bar” Setting folder pane options Adding favourites Peak preview Customising the quick access bar Setting reading pane and message preview Customizing email mail views Using the field chooser Email options Email conversations Conversation clean up Using Quick Steps Creating folders and organising information Setting email options Setting up rules Searching for information Using the Search bar Setting what to search for Setting where to search Searching for categories Adding more search options Working with calendars Setting what to view Using Schedule View Setting calendar options Weather bar Adding different time zones Adding meetings and appointments Setting up and using categories Opening other people’s calendars Setting calendar permissions Calendar groups Working with Tasks Lists Setting task options Adding and amending tasks Setting dates, deadlines and reminders Adding attachments to tasks Assigning tasks to others Flagging tasks Using and setting Quick Click Recurring tasks Flagging emails to appear on your task list Converting emails to tasks Converting tasks to calendar appointments

Discover the amazing features this tool has to offer in combining, collating and editing documents and the forms, markups and redaction techniques available. Duration 1 day (6.5 hours) Overview This Adobe Acrobat course looks at the powerful features of the tool quite often overlooked.  The course requires the use of either the Standard or Professional versions of Acrobat as the free Acrobat Reader only has limited functionality. Learn how to combine documents into a single file, edit and mark up PDFs, compare documents, redact data from documents and create fillable forms. Objectives  By the end of the course you will be able to: Create PDFs from other tools Set security Collate and combine files into a single PDF Edit PDF files Complete and sign documents Create fillable forms Mark up PDF documents Compare files Redact data Content Creating PDFs Building PDF documents from Word, Excel and PowerPoint Setting PDF options for print, image quality and security Working in Acrobat Home, Tools and Document Views Using the Navigation Panel and Pane Floating toolbar and Contextual menus Collating and Combining Files Combining multiple files into a single PDF Adding extra files Deleting pages and reorganising pages Editing Files Editing text and graphics Adding text and images Adding headers and footers, watermarks and backgrounds Adding Links Adding manual links Automatic links Completing and signing documents Using fill and sign to complete forms Adding signatures Creating Fillable and Signable Forms Prepare a form Autodetect fillable fields Add manual fillable fields Adding drop downs, check boxes, etc. Naming fields Setting field properties Previewing the form Marking Up Documents Marking up changes Using sticky notes Using the highlighter pen Adding stamps Attaching documents and audio Replying to comments Comparing Files Selecting settings Comparison report Reviewing differences Using the changes pane Redacting Data (Acrobat Professional only) Setting redaction options Redacting chosen text Searching and redacting words, phrases or patterns Redacting whole pages Applying redaction

Our Team Building Programmes are 'simply excellent' (quote from Unilever). They always deliver much greater energy' motivation and efficiently accelerates to a galvanised, integrated team for their Manager/Team Leader. They're great fun and very commercially orientated - the best of both key elements to a successful and long-lasting high performance team. A successful company is always made up of successful teams. Teams that can work autonomously with a clearly defined set of goals, roles, vision, responsibility and culture will always reach for and achieve far greater success than a team that works just as a group of individuals. Our team building solutions are individually built and geared towards teams at any level within an organisation, providing an independent and objective perspective to promote a common purpose such as the creation of a 'high performance team'. Out With The Old Traditionally, team building events have been restricted to certain levels of management where they head off site for a bit of archery, quad biking and paintballing or something along those lines. Then over some coffee and cocktails, business plans and more efficient ways to work are casually discussed. Whilst being out having fun instead of being at work may improve an individual person's mood, the effect will only be short-term, and will not go far in creating permanent and cohesive teams who are able to overcome challenges together and drive the business forward when back in the workplace. In With The New Today's business thinking is more strategic and certainly has to look for returns on the investment. That is why Dickson Training Ltd's team building programmes are bespoke and built to your requirements through research, understanding your business and, most importantly, what results and achievements you are looking to get out of the programme. Once "what success looks like" has been established, we create tasks and activities that will test your leadership, problem solving, communication and team work skills. When the tasks have been completed, the learning - both practical and theory - is debriefed to the group as well as how it will translate back in your business. Not only are our events great fun, but they provide participants with learning points they can act upon to improve or enhance the working practices/environment. Team Building That Gets Results We have a highly innovative team who design team builds to suit all budgets and time or space restrictions. Large or small, we will develop the perfect event to meet your commercial objectives, keeping in line with your values and company culture. More recently we have combined team galvanising events with ways to engage the participants with and support their local communities. This solution has proved extremely popular with our clients and we are continuing to develop more and more programmes doing exactly this. " Phil did everything in a very professional and focused manner, without losing sight of the overall aims or having 'fun'. When I moved to Airbus UK and subsequently European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS), I had no hesitation in recommending Phil and the team to deliver the required training and team events.  Without doubt Phil and his team are excellent providers of training, to suit even bespoke requirements, and I would not hesitate in recommending the team to any business in the future. " Glenn Brown, Systems & Expertise Manager, Airbus Personnel Service Augmented Skills – an Essay by Phil Dickson All of you, who are reading this, and all the people you meet and work with will have – ‘Augmented Skills’. So – if you are an IT Engineer or a Pharmacist; perhaps you are, or know, a Departmental Leader and you work with a Logistics Project Manager; these roles will demand core skills, whether they be technical know-how or qualifications in the discipline. But to be that bit better; more reliable; more effective & productive and therefore more valuable and, frankly, marketable – capitalizing on ‘Augment Skills’ comes into play. The I T Engineer who was a Chess Champion at Uni, which would indicate that they possess some key ‘Augmented skills’ including how they plan 3 steps ahead and are always prepared for the unexpected. The Pharmacist, who is a keen sportsperson in their private life, will likely be tenacious, team-orientated and disciplined – again these are superb qualities to have in this – or any – role. Your colleagues, as well as yourself, will have ‘Augmented Skills’ that will be an asset if only they are explored and applied to their role and indeed, career. Everyone has their own 'Super-power' If they love gardening, they are probably strategic, patient and inclined to research; if they cook or bake, they are usually well organized and comfortable with multi-tasking. A big reader will tend to be considered and possess good critical thinking faculties, and an amateur mechanic or keen DIY person will often be practical, resourceful and very determined. I have observed that many new Parents discover they have ‘Augmented Skills’ they didn’t know they had... such as getting order out of chaos and displaying industrial amounts of patience and good grace when they really do not feel like it. They very often become far more compassionate and empathetic. Most people have their very own ‘Superpower’. Invite your team members to offer their ‘Augmented Skills’ to your work-place – and just watch as it elevates the motivation levels and improves results. It’ll be very rewarding for all concerned – and for meeting the Team’s objectives, to encourage the person who is a talented artist to be a sounding board on some of the marketing imagery and layouts; for the team member who is great at Maths or resolving crosswords to be asked for their input to solving a problem that is causing logistical or operational headaches. Never exploit a Team member’s unique special skills at their expense I would like to stress, however, that it must never be an area where a team member gets exploited by harvesting their unique special skills to coerce them into taking on greater responsibilities and tasks without providing them with the commensurate salary and status. To do so would be immoral and, ultimately, counter-productive as it would lead to resentment and disenfranchisement. This is about encouraging people’s capability and inviting their input to boost confidence and enhance the team’s capability. Often, we need to be more than what our Job Description says It is also important to highlight that whatever a person’s role or function is – they will definitely need to have additional capabilities to be effective. The best example of this is when we designed and delivered a range of ‘Advanced Customer Care skills’ training sessions for the Met Office a few years ago…we met so many remarkably super-bright Meteorologists, many of whom were having to make significant adjustments to answering questions from Customers that seemed to be illogical and often, obtuse. It wasn’t enough for these Meteorologists to be highly skilled at interpreting data and identifying patterns – they needed ‘Augmented skills’ to make that information accessible to members of the public (and Council workers and Air Traffic controllers and Shipping agents) and many other people, as to what that particular weather system was going to be like in their area and at what time. They have to know how to ‘de-jargonise’ the material and provide succinct, clear, and yet temperate, descriptions without ever appearing exasperated, impatient or judgmental in response to sometimes quite silly questions. For a highly trained scientist – that can be counter-intuitive. Being Philosophical... and a wee bit pretentious At the risk of being a little Philosophical (and probably a wee bit pretentious) – in my own role of Trainer – my core skills have to include – being a very good communicator, an active listener and have innovative and engaging ways to convert an idea, or a model, into practical application that my Delegates and Clients gain tangible benefits from. This is how it applies to me... I really enjoy composing short, light classical-style piano pieces. Now, to do this well, you need to be able to find a transition from one chord or melody to a different theme or key. It has to be worked out very carefully to have incremental transitions and pleasant-sounding developments as the piece unfolds. I think I have become better at this as I have honed my skills as a composer. But I have realized that these very same skills have ‘Augmented’ my ability to help a Manager, or a Team, move from a state of conflict; tension; disfunction; disenfranchisement; lack of confidence to a place that is more harmonious with far greater productivity. The very same process of careful listening, considering options, taking well-considered steps, having a creative, sometimes brave, move towards a resolution are at play in both Training and Piano Compositions! Scheduled Courses Unfortunately this course is not one that is currently scheduled as an open course, and is only available on an in-house basis. Please contact us for more information.

There is a lot to learn in Power BI, this course takes a comprehensive look at the fundamentals of analysing data and includes a balanced look at the four main components that make up Power BI Desktop: Report view, Data view, Model view, and the Power Query Editor. It also demonstrates how to utilise the online Power BI service. It looks at authoring tools that enable you to connect to and transform data from a variety of sources, allowing you to produce detailed reports through a range of visualisations, in an interactive and dynamic way. It also includes a detailed look at formulas by writing both M functions in Power Query, and DAX functions in Desktop view. This knowledge will allow you to take your reports to the next level. The aim of this course is to provide a complete introduction to understanding the Power BI analysis process, by working hands-on with examples that will equip you with the necessary skills to start applying your learning straight away. 1 Getting Started The Power BI ecosystem Opening Power BI Desktop Power BI's four views Introduction to Dashboards 2 Importing Files Importing data sources Importing an Excel file Importing a CSV file Importing a database Connect to an SQL Server Database Import vs. Direct Query Importing from the web Importing a folder of files Managing file connections 3 Shape Data in the Query Editor The process of shaping data Managing data types Keeping and removing rows Add a custom column Appending tables together Hiding queries in reports Fixing error issues Basic maths operations 4 The Data Model Table relationships Relationship properties 5 Merge Queries Table join kinds Merging tables 6 Inserting Dashboard Visuals Things to keep in mind Inserting maps Formatting Maps Inserting charts Formatting Charts Inserting a tree map Inserting a table, matrix, and card Controlling number formats About report themes Highlighting key points Filter reports with slicers Sync slicers across dashboards Custom web visuals 7 Publish and share Reports Publishing to Power BI service Editing online reports Pinning visuals to a dashboard What is Q&A? Sharing dashboards Exporting reports to PowerPoint Exporting reports as PDF files 8 The Power Query Editor Fill data up and down Split column by delimiter Add a conditional column More custom columns Merging columns 9 The M Functions Inserting text functions Insert an IF function Create a query group 10 Pivoting Tables Pivot a table Pivot and append tables Pivot but don't aggregate Unpivot tables Append mismatched headers 11 Data Modelling Expanded Understanding relationships Mark a date table 12 DAX New Columns New columns and measures New column calculations Insert a SWITCH function 13 Introduction to DAX Measures Common measure functions Insert a SUM function Insert a COUNTROWS function Insert a DISTINCTCOUNT function Insert a DIVIDE function DAX rules 14 The CALCULATE Measure The syntax of CALCULATE Insert a CALCULATE function Control field summarisation Things of note 15 The SUMX measure X iterator functions Anatomy of SUMX Insert a SUMX function When to use X functions 16 Time Intelligence Measures Importance of a calendar table Insert a TOTALYTD function Change financial year end date Comparing historical data Insert a DATEADD function 17 Hierarchies and Groups Mine data using hierarchies Compare data in groups

Power BI is a powerful data visualisation program that allows businesses to monitor data, analyse trends, and make decisions. This course is designed to provide a solid understanding of the reporting side of Power BI, the dashboards, where administrators, and end users can interact with dynamic visuals that communicates information. This course focuses entirely on the creation and design of visualisations in dashboards, including a range of chart types, engaging maps, and different types of tables. Designing dashboards with KPI's (key performance indicators), heatmaps, flowcharts, sparklines, and compare multiple variables with trendlines. This one-day programme focuses entirely on creating dashboards, by using the many visualisation tools available in Power BI. You will learn to build dynamic, user-friendly interfaces in both Power BI Desktop and Power BI Service. 1 Introduction Power BI ecosystem Things to keep in mind Selecting dashboard colours Importing visuals into Power BI Data sources for your analysis Joining tables in Power BI 2 Working with data Utilising a report theme Table visuals Matrix visuals Drilling into hierarchies Applying static filters Group numbers with lists Group numbers with bins 3 Creating visuals Heatmaps in Power BI Visualising time-intelligence trends Ranking categorical totals Comparing proportions View trends with sparklines 4 Comparing variables Insert key performance indicators (KPI) Visualising trendlines as KPI Forecasting with trendlines Visualising flows with Sankey diagrams Creating a scatter plot 5 Mapping options Map visuals Using a filled map Mapping with latitude and longitude Mapping with ArcGIS or ESRI 6 Creating dashboards High-level dashboard Migration analysis dashboard Adding slicers for filtering Promote interaction with nudge prompts Searching the dashboard with a slicer Creating dynamic labels Highlighting key points on the dashboard Customised visualisation tooltips Syncing slicers across pages 7 Sharing dashboards Setting up and formatting phone views Exporting data Creating PDF files Uploading to the cloud Share dashboards in SharePoint online